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Netanyahu Condemns Paris Summit as 'Rigged' Against Israel


FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Dec. 25, 2016.
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Dec. 25, 2016.

Israel's prime minister is condemning an upcoming conference in Paris aimed at reviving the Israel-Palestinian peace process.

Benjamin Netanyahu said during a meeting with Norway's foreign minister on Thursday: "It's a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices to adopt additional anti-Israel stances. This pushes peace backwards. It's not going to obligate us. It's a relic of the past. It's a last gasp of the past before the future sets in."

The Palestinians have welcomed the French initiative, which takes place Sunday.

Netanyahu insists the conflict can only be resolved in direct peace talks and has repeatedly called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume them. Abbas refuses unless Israel ends settlement construction first.

The U.S. mediated the last round of talks, which collapsed in 2014.

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